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piqer for: Global finds Deep Dives
Sarah Salvadore is an independent data and investigative journalist.
Salvadore spent the past year collaborating on a multimedia investigation for The New Yorker. She worked as a fellow at Columbia’s Global Migration Project - writing and publishing stories of impact on women and girls, migrating from Central America's Northern Triangle. She is a 2016 alumna of Columbia Journalism School, New York, graduating with an MS in Data Specialization and Gender Migration.
Salvadore was part of Columbia's first cohort specializing in data-driven journalism. She is interested in telling human interest stories, using latest tools in data collection, analysis and visualization.
She previously worked with the Times of India in Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez And Football Inc.
No one living in the United States could have missed the story of football star Aaron Hernandez. When he was drafted by the New England Patriots, after his stint at the University of Florida, he became a star. But off the field, Hernandez’s life was riddled with legal and criminal issues. After three seasons in the NFL, he was arrested and charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was found guilty of the charge and sentenced to life in prison. Hernandez was also indicted on a double murder charge but was acquitted. Days after his acquittal, Hernandez committed suicide in his prison cell.
Every newspaper in the country covered the Hernandez story—the Boston Globe included. But now, the newspaper has released a new investigative podcast on the story. Titled Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez & Football, Inc., the podcast weaves the story of football culture in America through the lens of Hernandez’s life. It delves into his background—his childhood, teenage years and family. It also asks questions about the sport he spent much of his life playing, and the role it played in shaping him as a person.
So many questions were asked during the Hernandez trial and after Hernandez's suicide. Did CTE damage to his brain factor in his poor life choices? Did hyper-masculinity of the sport mask his true sexuality? And most importantly: Did the people managing the sport look the other way when he displayed problematic behavior? The podcast takes its time to delve deep into every aspect of Hernandez’s life and tries to answer all these questions and more.
It presents startling new revelations by getting access to audio recordings of calls Hernandez made while he was in prison. They also have documents highlighting new facts like the former football star was sexually abused by a relative as a child. It presents evidence that his teammates knew about Hernandez’s criminal past.
The podcast is gripping, well-made and a great example of how investigative journalism can benefit from podcasts.
